


When My Father Was a Boy...

by StrayKatgirl



Series: Finding Dragons [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Major Original Character(s), Next gen of dragon riders, No dragons, Not Beta Read, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, lots of haddocks, no major romace, not many, some things from the books
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-05-31 02:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6451048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrayKatgirl/pseuds/StrayKatgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>...There were dragons.<br/>Loresli (Lore-eh-lie) Haddock has grown up on the stories of her father's adventures with his dragon Toothless. How they met, how her father became chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, and how the dragons disappeared. When she finds evidence that, maybe, the dragons aren't gone, her and all of the original gang's children go on a search for the mysterious Hibernation Site. </p>
<p>This follows the movies mostly, with elements from the books in it. Some of the characters will appear in my Big Four stories, mostly the other Haddock children. Disclaimer: I own my OCs and the plot, nothing else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

_When my father was a boy, there were dragons._

_They roamed the wild, and lived side by side with vikings. Here on Berk, we rode the dragons. The first dragon riders were my father and his friends. The Thorstons, and their Zippleback. Fishlegs Ingarmen and his Gronkle. Snotlout Jorgenson rode a Monstrous Nightmare. My mother, Astrid Hofferson, rode a Deadly Nadder. My father, oh my father. He rode the Night Fury. The unholy offspring of lightning and death. His name was Toothless. But then, they disappeared. No warning, no reason. They were all just... gone. I have never seen a dragon. My oldest sister, Veyna, apparently has, but she claims not to remember this. My other sister, Cosmas, doubts that dragons even existed. My brother, Stoick ii, is to young to have an opinion on this. He's only four years old, after all. As for me, well... Dragons had to have existed. I look at the village, and I see proof everywhere. The stables, now used for storage. The old stadium. Right down to the fire system._

_When my father was a boy, there were dragons._

_And one day, I will prove it.  
_

* * *

"Get up, lazy bones." There was mirth in her older sister's voice as she shook Loresli awake. The blonde just hit Cosmas' hand away and rolled over.  "Come on sis. I thought you and your friends were going 'dragon hunting' today." Sitting up, the younger girl glared at her sibling. "Stop calling it that." ordered Loresli. "Just because you don't believe the stories-" She swung her feet over the side of her bed, "doesn't mean they're not true." Cosmas winced as she saw her sister's crippled leg. In an accident during labor, Loresli's left foot had been completely twisted backward, making it so that she had to wear a brace in able to walk. Cosmas handed her said brace, a metal contraption that their father and Veyna had worked together to make for her.

Each of the Haddock girls had gotten something from their parents that made people know for sure that 'yup, that's a Haddock alright'. Veyna had their father's smithing skill. Cosmas had their mother's fighting ability.  Loresli had their father's different way of thinking, that led to him becoming known as Chief Hiccup the Wise. Stoick ii, although only four, was shown to be an almost perfect mix of their parents. Veyna was eighteen years old, Cosmas seventeen, and Loresli was fifteen. As Loresli put on the brace, Loresli wished she didn't have a disability that was so much like her father's. That, combined with her way of thinking, seemed to make people think that she was going to be exactly like her father. At least, that's what they used to think.

Until they found out that even with the brace, she could hardly walk, much less great feats of bravery. So, she was an outcast. To the adults, of course. She did have friends. Komiker* Thorsten, son of Tuffnut Thorston and (Insert random viking here).  Sterk* Jorgenson, son of Snotlout and Ruffnut Jorgenson. Skummelt* Ingarmen, son of Fishlegs and Heather Ingarmen. Most kids shared her sister's opinion, that the dragons never existed. But her friends and her, they didn't, and were constantly looking for the truth. Cosmas and Loresli's differing opinions was a major cause of stress in their household. It was rare for them to go this long without raised voices.

In an effort to avoid that today, Loresli quickly got dressed. Her sister was right about one thing. She had to go meet up with her friends. After she was fully dressed, she grabbed her axe off of the wall and started walking to door. Cosmas followed her, ducking into her own room to grab something. As she painfully walked down the stairs, she saw her mother feeding Stoick, trying to get him to stay in his seat. Dad was probably already doing his chiefly duties, and Veyna was always at the forge around this time. She and her mother exchanged smiles as she walked out. At the last minute, her mom called out, "Don't burn down the island!" Loresli quickly replied with, "No promises!" It was their daily routine, and also a realistic concern. With both her and Komiker in the same vicinity, there really was no promises.

She and Komiker had been best friends since they were months old having been born only a week apart from each other. Despite this, the two of them insisted on calling each other only by their last names. You could often hear shouts of "Thorston! Get back here!" and, "Haddock! When I get my hands on you!" It became a common occurrence in Berk. If they didn't hear it at _least_ once a week, they knew something was wrong. So, as Loresli made her way to their usual meeting place, no one was surprised by the shout when Komiker spotted her.

"HADDOCK!" Loresli, ever the fast one, replied quickly. "THORSTON!" They embraced, before turning to face the rest of the group, hands clasped. They weren't dating or anything, they just were the type of people who liked physical contact. That was something that everyone on Berk was aware of, and that was never talked about when the two of them were in the vicinity. It was just something that happened, and that wasn't going to change because of some people's opinions.

"So," started Loresli, "Where are we going today?" Almost everyday, they went to somewhere different in the archipelago, sometimes using the boat that they built (with Veyna's help.) It was basically a mini warship, that only needed the five of them to sail it. Thanks to _the Stormfly_ (which was named after Loresli's mom's dragon) they had seen many things that only their parents  had seen before. Each time, they always came back, windswept and exhausted, but bursting with stories and excitement, telling the younger kids of their adventures. Skummelt smirked as Sterk answered. "We're going to Breakneck Bog."


	2. The Week Long Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group gains a, shall we say... troublesome companion.

_When my father was a boy, there were dragons. And one day, I will prove it._

"Breakneck Bog?" Loresli was incredulous, to say the least. "That's farther than we've ever gone. Are we even allowed-" She was quickly cut off by Sterk. "Your dad said it was okay! So did our parents." She crossed her arms, unbelieving. "And when exactly did you ask this? Why am I only now just hearing about it? How am I supposed to get everything I need on such short notice? And how long would we be gone?" Komiker quickly answered her questions. "Yesterday. You were taking care  of your brother. Your sisters packed. A week." She nodded along until he said the last answer. "A week! Why would it take that long? Breakneck Bog is a day and a half away on _the Stormfly_. Not a week!"

Skummelt shrugged. "When we asked your dad, he said we could stay there for a week. We are all exempt from our classes for that long." He hesitated for a moment. "There was one condition though." Loresli narrowed her eyes at him. "What kind of condition?" "Hey losers!" The three boys winced as Loresli spun around. Standing before them Eret iii, their main tormentor in the village. Horrified, her eyes turned to Komiker, silently begging. _Its not him, is it?_ He shook his head stiffly, causing her to sigh in relief. Confused, she turned back. _If not Eret, then who-_ She groaned when she saw who was standing behind Eret. 

"Kynisk? Seriously?" Kynisk was Eret's younger sister, and as her name suggests, she is cynical as you can be. She never outright makes fun of the group, but her snide remarks could hurt more than a punch at times. The fact that she was going to have to spend a week with _Kynisk_ of all people, made Loresli much less exited at the prospect of going to Breakneck Bog. She sent a withering glare at Skummelt, as if it were his fault, before limping up to stand directly in front of her. "Why are _you_ coming to Breakneck Bog?" The other girl just smirked. "Your daddy wanted someone _capable_ to protect his _precious_ little daughter."Loresli bristled at the insinuation that she couldn't protect herself, and that she had implied her friends couldn't help her if needed. They might not be the best fighters in Berk, but they were certainly able to protect themselves against anything in Breakneck Bog. 

Before Loresli could say any of this however, Kynisk kept talking. "After all," here she sent them all a vicious smirk the boys, "We wouldn't want you to be eaten by any _dragons._ " Flushing with displeasure, Sterk reached for his mace. Komiker quickly put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Now was not the time for his temper. Sneering, Loresli turned away. She called back over her shoulder, "If your coming with us, your going to have to pull your weight. No slacking off on rowing duty, you eat the sea rations, and just because you and I are girls, does not mean we get special treatment. I hope you're okay with sleeping next to Skummelt." She could practically see her outraged look. "But-" "No buts." Loresli quickly shut her down. "We have done this many times, and I am not going to change things now on your behalf. My ship, my rules." She mentally reminded herself to apologize to Skummelt later.

An hour later, Loresli was overseeing the preparations. Skummelt and Komiker were putting the rations on board, while Sterk was checking over the boat, making sure it was sea ready. Kynisk was struggling with the camping gear. The girl was a great warrior, but she was horrible at living in the wild. Rolling her eyes, Loresli went over and grabbed the gear, effortlessly walking to the back of the ship and putting it in its place. Everyone's personal things were already on board, and they were basically just waiting for Sterk's all clear. He gave it, jumping down from where he stood on the mast. They set off, with Komiker, Sterk, Kynisk, and Loresli on first rowing duty. 

The first day was uneventful. A  typical day, aside from Kynisk. They took shifts, who rowed and who rested. By the time that land was in sight, however, Kynisk had found something to complain about. There was no need for rowers right now, with the wind at full force, and Skummelt at the helm. Kynisk had decided to complain about the stink, blaming the boys. Komiker was studiously ignoring her, while Sterk was trying (unsuccessfully) to go to sleep. Her voice was carried over to Loresli, who was sharpening her axe. "-I mean seriously, would it kill you to take a bath sometime? I feel like I'm going to be sick." Sterk sat up, giving her a full on glare that stopped her in her tracks. She quickly recovered, snapping "What can't face the tru-""Will you shut up?!" 

Komiker looked over, ready to intervene if necessary. "I'm trying to sleep. I had to take a double shift last night because _someone_ , had decided that 'Oh no! My hair is more important than making sure that the ship stays on course.'" He said the last part in a high pitched whiny voice that sounded almost exactly like Kynisk. Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Taking that as a sign of defeat, he rolled over with a huff. The ship was silent for a moment, which was a rare occurrence. "I don't sound like that." Both Komiker and Loresli lunged to stop Sterk from hurting the older girl.

Skummelt sighed. This was going to be a long week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Two chapters in one day! Yeah! I am really excited for this story. I know I should be working on my other stories, and I am really sorry. I will. I have not forgotten. Anyways, translation:
> 
> Kynisk- Cynical
> 
> Yes, all of the names have something to do with their personality. Let's just say that their parents are really good (or bad- it depends on how you look at it) at naming their kids. Also, I couldn't resist Eret! I just really want to make him say "I am Eret, son of Eret, son of Eret!" at some point. Eret is the same age as Veyna, and Kynisk is the same age as Cosmas. While the other Haddocks and Eret will be in the story, they are not the main focus. I hope your excited for the next chapter! I certainly am! Introducing Breakneck Bog, and we finally start the actual plot!


	3. Breakneck Bog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arriving at the bog

_When my father was a boy, there were dragons. And one day, I will prove it._

When the crew of _the Stormfly_ arrived at Breakneck Bog, there was no moment of awe, where they stood and looked around. Instead, they were bustling with activity. Sterk setting anchor, Skummelt and Komiker were setting up camp, and Kynisk was in charge of making lunch. Loresli walked over to her now, where she was struggling to make a fire. Drawing out her flint and stone, she strikes them quickly. The brambles caught easily, and soon there was a roaring fire. Kynisk nodded at her, but said nothing. 

Once the preparations were done, they all gathered by the fire to eat. Loresli pulled out the map that her father had made when he was younger, that had the look that showed it had constantly been added to. She turned to where Breakneck Bog was. Pointing at it, she started to explain. "According to our parents, Smothering Smokebreaths used to live here, and starting tomorrow, we will be starting where the map says their nest was." Kynisk snorted. Taking a deep breath through her nose, Loresli asked, "Is there something you would like to say, _Kynisk_? And before you do," she continued, before Kynisk could answer, "Please remember that your parents also claim that there were dragons, and that any insult to my father's intelligence for believing this will result in my telling him. And I hope you remember that my father is _chief_."

Kynisk shut her mouth as the boys all _oohed_. Loresli then finished her explanation. "What we do after that depends on what we find. For today, lets just rest. We have a tiring journey ahead for us.

*************************************************************************************************

By the time the group reached their destination the next day, Komiker was seriously considering murder. Kynisk would. Not. _Shut up_. And of course, she had a field day when Komiker had carried Loresli for a bit, because there were some parts that she couldn't get through with her brace. Kynisk hadn't cared, and whined about how "why does only _she_ get carried? My feet hurt too. It's not fair~" Skummelt had shut her down quickly. "When you have a life changing disability, then you can be carried. But, since the most dangerous thing you have ever done in your life is spar with Cosmas," Which, in her defense, was actually really dangerous, "Then you have no such injury. So stop being a baby and DEAL WITH IT!" 

When they finally got there, they found that their annoyance was well worth their discovery. Piles of metal, _everywhere_. Loresli squealed, actually squealed, at the sight. She limped forward, while the others all got busy with their jobs. Sterk got out his journal and started sketching, like he always did. Skummelt looked around the area, seeing if there were any other indicators that the Smokebreaths had been here. Komiker investigated one of the outer piles. During all of this, Kynisk was just standing back, her mouth opened wide in disbelief. She shook herself out of it and hurried to follow Loresli.

"What are you doing Loresli?" The younger girl smirked. "I'm going to look in their cave, obviously. See what I can find. Who knows," here her voice became quiet, almost reverent, "I might even find a dragon scale." Kynisk sent a side glance at the girl. This was not the Loresli she was used to seeing. Usually, her every move was deliberate, planned out ahead of time. This Loresli was going head first, not thinking before she did things. She had a hopeful look on her face that made Kynisk want to give her whatever she asked for. She strode forward, hardly paying any attention to her feet. It was... different, seeing her like this.

The two of them stopped at the entrance, just taking in what they saw. It was HUGE. There was enough metal in the cave alone to fill five ships. Loresli was grinning from ear to ear, before letting out a yell of triumph. She spun around, whooping and laughing. Kynisk couldn't stop a smile of her own. "Oh wow." Loresli's voice was breathless, and full of awe. "We've never found this much before. The flock must have been gigantic."  She strode forward, angled toward the closest stack of metal. Then, many things happened at once. The boys all came running up, laughing with each other, making Loresli turn around. As she did, her brace bumped into something on the ground, making her lose her balance. 

Without warning, the floor beneath her fell, causing her to scream. Komiker lunged, trying to grab her hand. Instead, he ended up falling with her. Sterk screamed, and pulled Kynisk from getting hit in the head. As soon as everything was calmed down, Skummelt leaned over the edge. "Are you guys alright?" The three of them waited tensely, hoping against hope that they were alright. Their fears were put to rest when they heard a groan. "Komiker? Is that you?" The reply floated back to their ears. "Yeah its me. Loresli's here too." All three of them let out sighs of relief. "Are you two okay?" Loresli called an affirmative, before continuing, "You guys _have_ to get down here. There's some sort of tunnel, leading somewhere. Don't worry its not that far." The ones up top all exchanged looks before dropping down. 

"You know, Loresli," remarked Skummelt, "It kind of looks like a Whispering Death tunnel." Loresli nodded eagerly. "Yeah, it does! But if it is, then it shouldn't be here! There shouldn't have been Whispering Deaths anywhere near here! We should see where it goes!" They all agreed, although Kynisk was still in shock a little bit, from everything that just happened. She followed the rest of them as they followed the tunnel. It had lots of twists and turns, and at one point they had to slide farther down. "Its weird." Everyone turned to Sterk. "What's weird?" "Well, even if  it was only one Whispering Death, you'd think there would be lots of side tunnels and off shoots. So far we've only found this main one." "You have a point." conceded Loresli. "I guess we just follow it until we find some answers-"

They all stopped in their tracks to gaze at where the tunnel let out. "It's beautiful," breathed out Komiker.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Chapter 3 is done! That was exhausting. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but at first I was going to stop it at the floor collapsing. If it weren't for the fact that I have been trying to make each chapter at least 900 words, I would have. No translations this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it for Chapter 1! I am very proud of this, and I hope you enjoy this. I am using google translate for some things, like Loresli's friend's names, but I am putting the meanings at the end of each chapter
> 
> Komiker- Comedian
> 
> Sterk- Strong
> 
> Skummelt- Scary
> 
> Also, in my mind, I view Loresli and Komiker as platonic soul mates. As of right now, they are the most romantic anyone is going to get in this book, not counting the adults. I won't hold it against you if you ship anyone, but I am not going to make romance a big part of this story. If you were hoping for a shippy story, than you are in the wrong place.


End file.
